Takeo Miki

Takeo Miki (17 March 1907-14 November 1988) was Prime Minister of Japan from 9 December 1974 to 24 December 1976, succeeding Kakuei Tanaka and preceding Takeo Fukuda. He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.

Biography
Takeo Miki was born in Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan in 1907, and he graduated from Meiji University in Tokyo and the University of Southern California in the United States. From 1937 to 1988, Miki served in the National Diet, and he opposed Hideki Tojo's military government during World War II; nevertheless, he managed to secure re-election in 1942 in the face of political repression from the fascist government. In 1974, he took over from Kakuei Tanaka to become Prime Minister, and he attempted to reform the LDP by investigating bribery scandals. His popularity with the public was eclipsed by his unpopularity among several party members, and the party's loss of its majority in the 1976 election led to Takeo Fukuda taking over from Miki.